Yes the organization did believe they had a shot. They chose to allocate their dollars to bringing back Jake Peavy instead of AJ. You don't bring back Jake Peavy this season if you thought you were going to be a .500 team. They had Flowers pegged as the #1 catcher heir for the last few years as a younger, cheaper alternative to the aging AJ. They were expecting a lot more out of Flowers and he has been a flop. Flowers ended up proving to everyone that he is just a backup but I don't believe the Sox viewed him as "AAAA" as you put it. They thought highly of him or they wouldn't have handed him the reigns. Keppinger was supposed to be a great bat handler, be the ideal #2 hitter, cut down on the strikeouts, and make the Sox offense less HR reliant as they were in 2012. Obviously, none of these moves have worked out at all and I'm not trying to defend them but I believe they were all made with an eye towards contending this year.

It may be the "there's no book on him" burst, but at least Phegley is providing some excitement. I don't mind Flowers as a back-up, but I don't like him as a starter. If Phegley is a potential starter for us though, we may need a veteran guy to help tutor him.